Frequently asked questions

QCase is a quick and efficient way to file documents and manage civil proceedings in Magistrates Courts.

Some of the benefits of using QCase include:

• View case information and documents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Access via desktop, laptop, mobile phone, and tablet
• Receive case updates and notifications in real time
• Lodge documents any time on any day of the week

Please note that any documents lodged using QCase outside normal registry hours will only be processed and filed during business hours. This means that documents lodged after 4:30pm will be taken to be filed the next business day, and date stamped as such.

Anyone seeking to commence civil proceedings, defend an action, or represent someone in a civil matter in a Magistrates Court can use QCase.

Using QCase is the preferred method, as it is an easy alternative and provides many benefits to progressing your civil matter through the Magistrates Court. However, if you do not have access to QCase online, you can still lodge your documents in person or by post.

When you lodge a claim or application through QCase, it will initially be visible to you, registry staff, and the court. Other parties named in the claim or application can join the case via QCase to see the documents, parties, and events.  Please note that the current responsibilities of parties regarding service of documents will still apply. See the lodging document FAQ below for further information.

Anyone can apply to search and copy certain documents in the court including matters lodged via QCase, subject to some limitations. See the search and copy FAQ below for more information.

Once a document has been filed (and where necessary approved by the registry), the document will be viewable by all parties with access to the case through QCase unless there is a suppression or non-publication order made by the court. If a suppression or non-publication order is made, the registry will mark the document (or part of the document) to prevent it from appearing to other parties.

Depending on whether the entire document or just parts of the document are suppressed, you may still need to file a redacted copy of the document that you intend to serve on the other party.

There are no fees to register and use QCase. However, most applications and claims require a filing fee to be paid when lodged.

To access QCase and create a user profile, new users must have a Commonwealth MyGov account with myGovID or a Queensland Government QGov account. Those who intend to use QCase in a professional capacity, such as members of the legal profession, are strongly encouraged to create a QGov work account, separate to their personal QGov account, using their key professional contact information including work email and office address.

The myGovID or QGov information will be used to create their QCase user identity the first time that they access QCase, and affects in-system communication and collaboration functions, like the Firm Administration function.

A myGovID or QGov account is your online identity and keeps your transactions secure when using government online services. It makes it easier to prove who you are online, provides greater security to you, and helps to protect your information. You only need to prove your identity via myGovID or QGov the first time you access QCase.

To register for a myGovID or a QGov account, you will need to provide certain identification documents to meet identity proofing requirements.

• Find out about the ID requirements to register for a myGovID account.
• Find out about the ID requirements to register for a QGov account.

No. You only need one of either a myGovID or QGov account to register and log in to QCase.

Yes, you can access QCase from your desktop, mobile phone, tablet, or laptop.

No, CITEC Confirm is fully integrated meaning you do not need to use QCase to lodge your claims.

The benefit of using QCase to lodge your matters is that you can manage the entire case electronically and not just for the lodgement of cases, requests for default judgment and enforcement hearing applications. There is no administration fee for using QCase.

You can continue to use CITEC Confirm to lodge your claims, and then manage your cases using QCase.

No, a business cannot register for QCase. Businesses and companies will need to have an individual (such as an account manager or business manager), who will need to register using their own myGovID or QGov account. They can setup a QGov account separate to their personal account, using their professional/business contact details. The user can then lodge documents on behalf of the business

Most documents need to be completed prior to lodging them through QCase. Some submissions such as a claim and statement of claim, or an enforcement hearing summons application, will include the option to either:

• complete the forms electronically using a guided process on QCase, or
• prepare the documents separately and upload then them into QCase.

Following a guided process takes you through a series of questions and required information necessary to generate the appropriate forms. You will need to have prepared electronic versions of any additional supporting material that you wish to include when following a guided process.

All other matters and any further documentation filed on your case will need to be completed before uploading them. Find out more about Magistrates Courts’ forms.

Our business hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you lodge a document on QCase outside of these business hours (for example: before 8:30am, after 4:30pm, during a weekend/public holiday/closure period), QCase will record the document as being filed on the next business day.

Yes, you can still use QCase to lodge your documents. You simply need to join a case and enter your current file number.

No, you are not able to lodge a domestic and family violence application using QCase. You will need to complete an application and attend your local courthouse registry in person to start a domestic and family violence proceeding.

For further information about making domestic and family violence applications, or if you need support, visit the Domestic and Family Violence information page.

If you believe that your civil application requires an urgent listing, you should contact your local courthouse registry prior to lodging and discuss possible options or expected timeframes.

If you attach the incorrect file, you will need to contact the registry where your matter is being heard so registry staff can rectify it for you.

When commencing a proceeding or uploading documents to QCase, you will be required to enter some minimum information to help generate your case details within the system. If the information you enter during this process is incorrect, you can contact the registry where the documents are being lodged and registry staff can assist in rectifying this for you.

If the information within the documents being uploaded is incorrect, you will need to file amended documents through QCase as part of normal amendment procedures.

Depending on the type of document you file through QCase, some lodgements will be automatically processed by the system while others will require registry staff to process them. The timeframe for registry staff to process lodgements received through QCase can vary for several reasons:

• the number or complexity of your documents.
• whether your lodgement requires determination or consideration by a registrar or judicial officer.
• current registry workloads and backlog.

You will be advised when your lodgement has been processed.

QCase provides up-to-date information regarding your case and documents. Your case or cases will have an overall status and each document filed also has a status that changes when a document is lodged, processed, or rejected. Some documents are automatically processed and sealed copies of these documents will be immediately available to view or print.

If the documents you are filing are not automatically processed, you will need to wait for them to be considered. Once processed, you will receive an email to advise that sealed copies of the documents are available. Where the documents have been rejected, you will also receive an email with the reasons and any next steps that you may need to take.

Notification alerts are also available within QCase. Click 'Notifications' from the left menu to see all of the alerts for your cases.

No. The party lodging the claim, application or document remains responsible for serving the other party or parties in accordance with the law. Find out more about service requirements.

Once a document has been submitted and processed, a sealed version becomes available to download, print and serve on the other party. You can access the sealed copy of the document by selecting the matter from the list of cases and then selecting the document under ‘court file’. QCase does not automatically serve another party.

If your lodgement is rejected, you will be advised of the rejection by email or by notification alert. An explanation or reasons for rejection will be provided. If you require further information for your rejection or refusal, you can contact the registry that issued it.

Where a filing fee or additional fees have been paid, registry staff will contact you to arrange a refund.

QCase allows you to securely pay for filing fees and other payments through Smart Services Queensland (SSQ). After clicking 'Pay Now' in QCase, you will be redirected to the SSQ payment gateway to enter your card details.

Once the payment has been made, you can click ‘Return to online services’ to return to QCase. A copy of your receipt will be emailed to your registered email address.

Yes, you can still use QCase to respond to or defend the matter. You will just need to have the case file number from the documents served on you to enable you to join the case.

Documents that have been lodged through QCase will be digitally stamped as Electronically Filed. Any documents that do not have this stamp will not have been lodged through QCase. Regardless of how a document is lodged, the other party will still need to serve you in accordance with the law. Find out more about service requirements.

You are required to make payment within 48 hours after lodging. If payment is not received within this time, your lodgement will be rejected. Weekends, public holidays, and registry closures are not included as part of the 48 hours.

Yes, if you are unable to complete and lodge your application or claim at the time, you can save a draft of your case. These saved drafts are stored for 30 days from the date that you first saved the draft. After 30 days, your draft’s data will be cleared, which means you will need to start your application or claim again.

Only you will be able to see your drafts and any associated information until they are submitted.

There is no detailed QCase user guide, instead, QCase has an in-built assistance tool on the screen.

Just click the '?' at the bottom right of the QCase screen and choose a topic from the list. It will then guide you through the process “live” using step-by-step instructions.

There are also smart tips and information icons to provide further assistance.

If you are experiencing difficulties, contact your local registry.

It is important to ensure your address for service and contact details are accurate. Although you can change your contact details in your Profile on QCase, this will not update the court’s record and will not update your address for service. You must file the appropriate documents to change these.

You can update your address for service on all your current cases at once—select 'Cases' and click the 'Update Address for Service' button. This will generate a ‘Form 90 – Notice of change of address for service’ on all of your current cases in QCase. If preferred, you can choose to update each case individually by lodging the appropriate document. Although other parties will be able to see this form and any changes on their portal, you will still need to serve the documents on them.

Anyone can apply to search and copy certain documents in a Magistrates Court. However, there are rules and legislation that may limit or prevent who can access documents.

How documents can be accessed also depends on when the court file was commenced.

Files commenced earlier than 1 January 2019 will not be viewable on QCase. A request to search, inspect or copy a document on these files should be made by completing the Search and copy court documents online form or download the Request to Inspect or Copy Civil Court Documents (DOC, 166.0 KB) form. Once processed, the court registry will provide further details about the result of your request.

Files commenced after 31 December 2018 should be available on QCase and can be accessed via the ‘Public Access’ tab. Once a file is selected, you will be able to view basic details of the file and the index of documents on the file. Note that these files may not contain digitised versions of all documents. Some or all documents on the file may remain in physical files. Requests to search, inspect or copy documents on files that contain physical documents (i.e. documents that have not been digitised) should be made by completing a Search and copy court documents online form or the Request to Inspect or Copy Civil Court Documents form (DOC, 166.0 KB). Once processed, the court registry will provide further details about the result of your request.

Please note, some case files may not appear in a public search. If a file has a potential non-publication order, or you believe you should be able to see a file and can’t, you should contact your local registry for a check against the physical file. If the case file is a public record, the file will be made available in QCase.

Files commenced after QCase is live will be available on QCase. All documents on these files should also be available on QCase as digital documents. You can make a search and copy request using the ‘Public Access’ tab in QCase. From the Public Access tab, search for a case using party name or case number. Select the case you wish to access, and you will be able to view basic details of the case and the index of documents on the file. To inspect or copy (download) a document in a file, a request must be made to the court via QCase. Once processed, you will then gain access to the document to view and/or copy (download) directly via QCase.

All requests or applications to search, inspect or copy a file or document (whether via QCase or the ‘Search and copy court documents’ application form) will be reviewed by a registry staff member. The associated fees must also be paid before access is granted.

Firm Administrators have the highest level of access within the QCase portal and can view all cases and user profiles that are related to their organisation. A general user will have limited access to cases within the QCase portal as per the permissions given by the Firm Administrator.

The Firm Administrator is responsible for managing their employee’s user access within the QCase portal. This includes configuring new and existing employee access and granting or removing access to the organisation’s cases in QCase.

A Firm Administrator can nominate multiple Firm Administrator users within their organisation.

Each organisation must have at least one Firm Administrator. A Firm Administrator cannot remove themselves as the administrator of their organisation unless another user has been assigned the role of Firm Administrator.

Before a user can join an organisation, they must register to access the QCase portal as individuals via MyGovID or QGov and verify their business email address in the QCase portal. Ensure your employee has registered in the QCase portal and their registered business email address matches your organisations email domain.

If you have followed the steps to register your organisation and verify your business email address, you should be able to see the 'User Management' option in the side menu. If you cannot see this option it may be due to another user already being listed as the Firm Administrator for your organisation. Click on 'Profile' and scroll down to the 'Business or organisation profile' section. This will show who is listed as Administrator for your organisation. Your Firm Administrator will need to assign you role of Firm Administrator in the QCase portal.

Refer to the Firm Administration Guide (PDF, 1.1 MB).

If you are unable to submit a document or the attachment is not uploading, try the following steps:

• Confirm that all attachments are in the correct format: .doc, .docx, .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .xls, and .xlsx.
• Confirm that the size of each document is not more than 100MB. If a document is more than 100MB, you will need to separate the document and save as multiple files before attempting to re-upload.
• Confirm that you have completed all required fields. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk *

If these steps do not rectify the issue, contact your local courthouse for assistance.